Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Completed202094 min

During a recording session in 1920s Chicago, Ma Rainey arrives determined to protect the voice and authority that have made her a celebrated…Read more +Read less −

During a recording session in 1920s Chicago, Ma Rainey arrives determined to protect the voice and authority that have made her a celebrated blues performer. Her musicians wait, rehearse, argue, and imagine the opportunities the session might bring, while the people running the studio calculate what they can extract from her work. Ma’s young girlfriend Dussie Mae accompanies her, bringing tenderness and another source of tension into a room already charged with competing ambitions. As delays accumulate, conflicts over music reveal deeper struggles over money, race, respect, and control. Adapted from August Wilson’s play, the film places a commanding queer artist at the centre of an industry eager to profit from talent it refuses to honour.

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Drama Music

Sapphic characters & cast

Viola Davis

as Ma Rainey

Main sapphic character

1965-08-11 · ♌ Leo

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YOUR FIRST LOOK

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Details & credits

Country: United States
Language: English
Premiere: 2020-12-18
Runtime: 94 minutes
Director: George C. Wolfe

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Artwork source & permission status

Editorial review approved — rights not independently confirmed

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Original publication ↗

Sources & editorial notes (9)

Last researched 2026-10-28. Editorially approved.

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